“In the second set I would have played more aggressively throughout and hopefully would have been able to finish the match off and prevent a third set,” the Saddle River Day senior said. “Michael Chen was my toughest opponent by far. The match was both physically and mentally very challenging."

Wright led his team to the semifinal round of the North Jersey Non-Public B tournament, where his team fell to Dwight-Englewood. In fact, Saddle River Day’s only three losses came to Dwight-Englewood, though Wright never lost his match.

Wright, who has been a team captain since his sophomore season, led his school to a county title by winning the first singles flight.

“The favorite aspect of the season was winning counties easily at first singles and leading the way in making school history by winning counties as a team,” the 5-11 senior said. “It was particularly special to win counties with my brother winning second singles, too. Obviously reaching the semis of states was a high point.”

There are some players whotry to overpower their opponents, but Wright is not one of them. He wins with grit, in-game adjustments, and sheer determination, since he does not have the natural abilities that other top-tier players may have.

“I believe I have been successful through dogged determination and mental toughness," Wright said. "But I also believe that although I don't have the biggest shots in the game, I use my consistency and ability to adapt my game style accordingly to outperform my opponent.”

The senior will be moving on to play tennis at Bucknell, but has left his mark on the program forever.

“This season was definitely my strongest in terms of my results, but more importantly I feel I have left a legacy to inspire others at Saddle River Day School,” Wright said.

COACH OF THE YEAR: Raymund Meizys coached Northern Highlands to one of its best seasons in recent memory. Meizys nearly led his team a Group 3 title before bowing to Summit, 3-2, in the finals. The Group 3 final match was one of the closest matches of the season and it could have gone either way as six matches went to seven points.

Overall, Meizys guided his team to a 20-2 record, six games better than last season, and wins over Ridgewood, Paramus, Tenafly, Bergen Catholic, Hammonton, and Demarest. Northern Highlands started out the season 6-0 before its first loss and then won 14 consecutive matches until its finals defeat. With a combination of youth and experience Meizys was able to blend the two together into a winning combination.

TEAM OF THE YEAR: Fair Lawn finished the season 20-3 and nearly won a section title. Fair Lawn was one of the best teams in North Jersey due to the play of Freddy Zaretsky (first singles), and Ross Childs and John Horowitz (first doubles).

Fair Lawn wrecked its competition this season, winning by margins of 4-1 or 5-0 in 19 of its 23 matches. These include wins over Ridgewood, Bergen Catholic, Demarest, Dwight-Englewood, and Bergen Tech.